Our life here on Earth has as its purpose precisely to prepare

When Peter Kreeft declared, “Our life here on Earth has as its purpose precisely to prepare for our eternal happiness. This world is a large womb. It is a ‘test’ as all opportunities are tests,” he spoke with the timeless wisdom of a philosopher who sees beyond the veil of mortal days. His words carry the echo of the ancients — of prophets and poets who taught that life is not the destination, but the preparation. We are not yet born into our true existence; this world is but the womb of the soul, where pain and joy, failure and triumph, all labor together to shape us for the eternity to come.

The image of the womb is profound. Within it, the unborn child knows nothing of the greater world beyond, yet every movement, every breath it takes prepares it for life outside. So too are we — encased within time, learning, struggling, growing, often blind to the vastness that awaits. What seems like suffering here is, in truth, formation. The soul, like a child, is being readied for birth into eternal happiness, that divine state which transcends the limits of this fragile Earth. Thus, every joy we taste, every sorrow we endure, is not meaningless — it is the shaping of eternity within us.

To call this life a test is not to imagine a cruel examiner waiting for our failure, but to understand that every choice is sacred. Each moment of kindness, each act of patience, each victory over temptation becomes a stone laid upon the path to eternal joy. The ancients knew this well. The Stoics taught that every trial refines the soul; the saints believed that every sorrow can sanctify. Life, therefore, is not punishment, but opportunity — a divine classroom where the soul learns to love, to hope, to endure, to believe. And just as no student can reach wisdom without challenge, so no soul can reach glory without testing.

Consider the life of Viktor Frankl, the psychologist who survived the hell of the concentration camps during World War II. Surrounded by death, stripped of all possessions, family, and dignity, he discovered a truth that mirrors Kreeft’s: that life’s meaning is not destroyed by suffering, but revealed through it. Frankl saw that even in misery, a man could choose his attitude, could choose love, could choose to remain human. His survival was not merely physical — it was spiritual. He passed through the darkest test and emerged radiant with understanding: that every moment of life, even the most bitter, prepares the soul for something higher.

In this way, Kreeft’s teaching unites the wisdom of faith and philosophy. He reminds us that Earth is not our home, but our training ground. To seek comfort above growth is to remain unborn; to seek meaning within trial is to mature toward eternity. The tests of life are not punishments, but invitations — opportunities to reveal what is divine within us. When we lose, when we weep, when we are forced to wait, these are not signs of divine abandonment, but the labor pains of a greater birth. The womb is not gentle, but it is sacred.

So what, then, must we do? We must live as pilgrims, not prisoners — walking through this world with purpose, knowing that every step, even the weary ones, leads somewhere holy. When life tests you, do not despair. Instead, ask what the test seeks to teach. When joy visits you, do not cling to it as a treasure that will fade, but as a glimpse of the eternity that awaits. Each day, cultivate the virtues of the soul — humility, gratitude, compassion, courage — for these are the muscles you will need when you are born into the light beyond death.

And finally, remember this, as the elders once told their sons by the fireside: The womb cannot last forever. One day it must break, and you will step into the world for which you were made — a world where joy is no longer fleeting, and peace no longer fragile. Therefore, live not in fear of the test, but in awe of its purpose. Let every trial shape you, every wound teach you, every moment lift you. For the one who understands that this life is preparation already carries within them the seed of eternal happiness.